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3 Reasons Why Statins Do More Harm Than Good

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“They didn’t die of a heart attack, but dead is dead – whatever the cause.” – Dr. Dzugan 

If you’ve ever had high cholesterol, you’ve probably heard the term we’re going to talk about today. Statins are a class of drugs used to treat hypercholesterolemia—high cholesterol. Over $20 billion dollars worth of statins are sold each year in the US alone. Seems like an effective drug, right? Wrong.

Research shows that though deaths due to heart disease decrease by 15% among patients who take statins, there is an increase in deaths due to complications from other diseases.

Why is this the case? Our medical community has a habit of treating the symptoms instead of treating the root cause. When you treat the root cause, which is often hormone imbalance in the body due to aging and environmental factors, you are able to effectively restore your body chemistry & balance from the inside out.

The Risk of Diabetes

A team of six doctors from multiple universities in Scandinavia published the final results of their detailed study March 4th in the medical journal Diabetologia. Their conclusion: “Statin treatment increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 46%, attributable to decreases in insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion.”

There has been evidence in the past of statins increasing adult-onset Type 2 diabetes, but it has always been estimated to be in the 10-20% range.  Those studies, however, were designed to observe the effects of statins on cholesterol. The diabetes risk information was simply an interesting by-product involving only the obvious cases.

This study, on the other hand, was specifically designed to observe the long-term effects of statin use with regard to causing otherwise healthy people to develop type 2 diabetes. The worst results were found to be caused by two of the most common statins in use world-wide: atorvastatin (aka Lipitor) and simvastatin (aka Zocor).

Increased Risk of Arterial Blockage

We do a lot of research about these conditions because it’s important to understand how the medical community is investigating the effects of these drugs on a population that has, sadly, been taking this medication consistently for the past several years. One such international study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis showed that statin use is associated with a 52 percent increase in the prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to non-users. Coronary artery blockage is the hallmark of potentially lethal heart disease!

Side Effects of Statins

Some of the side effects of the most common versions of statins include:

  • Kidney Failure   
  • Erectile Dysfunction   
  • Neuropathy
  • Cataracts   
  • Pancreatic Dysfunction
  • Liver Dysfunction   
  • Cognitive Impairment/Memory Loss   
  • Muscle weakness and wasting (your heart is a muscle, right?)  
  • Anemia
  • Immune System Suppression   
  • Cancer

We think these risks are just too high for anyone to seriously consider this an effective method of treatment.

As Dr. Dzugan says “Taking potent cholesterol-lowering medications has never been shown in clinical research to actually improve mortality.  In fact, in the biggest trials, significantly more people who took the drugs died than those who did not. They didn’t die of a heart attack, but dead is dead – whatever the cause.”

Get your FREE e-Book today, Dr. Dzugan’s “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie” and learn more about our program and how it can help you.

Because every person’s body chemistry is different, we work closely with you to develop a personalized program that improves your overall Quality of Life.

Scroll to the bottom of the Dzugan PhysioLogic home page and grab your free ebook, a free consultation with one of our Doctors, or just give us a call at 1-866-225-4877 Option 2 today to speak with an experienced advisor.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. It does not replace medical care from a licensed physician. If you have a medical concern, please contact DzLogic at 1-866-225-4877.

Cognitive Decline linked to Dietary Deficiencies

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A simple vitamin insufficiency is linked to a 40% increase in dementia. 

The September issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network’s Neurology publication contains a very interesting study on the relationship between vitamin D levels and brain health in older adults.
A team of researchers from Rutgers and the University of California assessed baseline vitamin D levels as related to changes in cognitive function using standard tests for different areas of decline. The study included 382 adults with a mean age of 75.5 years, and a followup of nearly 5 years (4.8 years on average).
This study was unique in that is was specifically designed to include significant numbers of African Americans and Hispanics to assess the impact of ethnicity on vitamin D levels overall in addition to cognitive decline.
The Medscape Medical News article about the study summed up the results nicely in their opening paragraph: “Low vitamin D levels are very common in older adults, especially African Americans and Hispanics, and are associated with accelerated decline in episodic memory and executive function, the two cognitive domains strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, a new study indicates.” 
Average vitamin D levels were below national standards for adequacy for the entire group with a mean blood level of 19.2 ng/ml. “National standards” say that 20-50 ng/ml is “adequate” for healthy adults. DzLogic has a different perspective.  Each person’s body chemistry is unique. As such, we base our optimization protocols on blood tests and a long-term perspective that shows us what works for each individual member. One person’s optimal may be 65 ng/ml, while another person’s optimal is 35 ng/ml. The numbers aren’t as important as the results the member is getting.
At baseline (the study’s starting point) the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was highest (40.3%) in the group exhibiting quantifiable signs of dementia. Over the course of the study, rates of decline in memory and function were dramatically greater for those with the lowest vitamin D levels as well.
Are we saying that simply taking vitamin D will protect you from Alzheimer’s? No. Your body chemistry is far too complex for a broad statement like that. It is obvious, though, that optimizing your body chemistry has many benefits and this study is yet another piece of proof.
The research team itself summed it up nicely. “The magnitude of the effect of vitamin D insufficiency on cognition was substantial.”
 
Have you ever had the thought that simply optimizing your body chemistry as a way to avoid the otherwise certain decline in your health caused by aging was “too good to be true?” This study might have you reconsidering that position. The evidence continues to mount in support of our new paradigm in medicine.

 

 

Get your FREE e-Book today, Dr. Dzugan’s “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie” and learn more about our program and how it can help you.

Because every person’s body chemistry is different, we work closely with you to develop a personalized program that improves your overall Quality of Life.

Scroll to the bottom of the Dzugan PhysioLogic home page and grab your free ebook, a free consultation with one of our Doctors, or just give us a call at 1-866-225-4877 Option 2 today to speak with an experienced advisor.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. It does not replace medical care from a licensed physician. If you have a medical concern, please contact DzLogic at 1-866-225-4877.

The Statin + Diabetes Connection

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Cholesterol is a most vital element in the body. 

Statin use is linked to a 46% increase in your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
A new paper in Evidence Based Medicine asks the questions “Are statins of any real value for diabetes patients? At what point does diabetes risk become the equivalent of coronary heart disease?”
We think they’re asking the wrong questions altogether.
The paper I mentioned above contains a lot of what I consider circular reasoning regarding what they call the Statin/Diabetes Conundrum. Common practice as quoted in the paper is that “Statin drugs have become the mainstay of many cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines and are recommended for most adult patients with diabetes.” Then later, it says “Reports that conclude that the benefits of statins outweigh the risks have probably underestimated the long-term risks of statin exposure…”
 
Diabetes is a known risk factor for developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). And now, CHD has become a known risk factor for diabetes if treated using statins in the common practice “standard of care.” So instead of being healed of either of these body breakdowns, you’re now more likely to end your life with both!
Here’s where it becomes even more circular. Statins cut back on your body’s production of cholesterol.  Cholesterol is what your primary hormones are made from. Your primary hormones control your muscle health (heart) and metabolism (diabetes). When hormone levels drop, your body tries to compensate by creating more cholesterol as raw material to make hormones from. Increased cholesterol is “associated with” coronary heart disease. Big Pharma made cholesterol out to be the source of the problem and sells $30 billion worth of statins every year.  But instead of you getting healthier, you get sicker because the hormones that control your health are even harder for your body to make.
One of our Team Providers said it very succinctly almost 8 years ago: “Statins treat the wrong thing, the wrong way, and generate the wrong results.” Hormone restoration to optimal levels is actually the only proven way to optimize both cholesterol levels and your overall health.
Cholesterol was never the problem. The theory behind that whole paradigm was created by someone force-feeding meat to vegetarian animals. Surprise, surprise – it wasn’t good for the animals.  Here’s a great video overview from Dr. Mercola:
How did 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 45 end up on statins, then?  In my personal opinion, it is because ‘investigators’ in Big Pharma funded studies were willing to ignore everything except the data that allowed them to declare the result their funding sources were looking for – and your doctor never sees the other data. They just hear the declarations used in sales pitches disguised as ‘research presentations’ at medical conferences. The researchers only looked for data to prove their point, while ignoring the overall health of the people they were studying.
Let me show you a perfect example – the PROSPER study – published in the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet. In it, the authors declare “Pravastatin given for 3 years reduced the risk of coronary disease in elderly individuals. PROSPER therefore extends to elderly individuals the treatment strategy currently used in middle aged people.”
What they don’t mention in the conclusions (and your doctor would never hear unless he/she dug deeply into the study data itself), is that while the risk of heart attack dropped by 25%, the risk of cancer went UP by 25%!
This brings me back to one of my favorite parts of Dr. Dzugan’s lectures:
“Taking potent cholesterol-lowering medications has never been shown in clinical research to actually improve mortality.  In fact, in the biggest trials, significantly more people who took the drugs died than those who did not. They didn’t die of a heart attack, but dead is dead – whatever the cause.”
If you or a loved one are putting these dangerous drugs into your body every day, isn’t it time to consider a new way to protect your heart and regain your health and vitality? Statins obviously aren’t the solution, so why not give DzLogic a look? Cholesterol is essential for life itself. We can show you how to manage it naturally, with many “side benefits.”

Get your FREE e-Book today, Dr. Dzugan’s “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie” and learn more about our program and how it can help you.

Because every person’s body chemistry is different, we work closely with you to develop a personalized program that improves your overall Quality of Life.

Scroll to the bottom of the Dzugan PhysioLogic home page and grab your free ebook, a free consultation with one of our Doctors, or just give us a call at 1-866-225-4877 Option 2 today to speak with an experienced advisor.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. It does not replace medical care from a licensed physician. If you have a medical concern, please contact DzLogic at 1-866-225-4877.

Your Body and Cholesterol – Why You Need it to Survive

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Cholesterol is a most vital element in the body. 

Recall that cholesterol is a most vital element in the body. It is the great progenitor, builder of cells and creator of hormones. Obviously, building cells and creating hormones can be considered a pretty good thing for the body, what with that being a necessary component of being defined as alive versus dead. Through long chains of conversions, cholesterol is ultimately responsible for creating more or less that which makes us run properly.

Going back to the issues of cause and effect, we believe that by this rather simple reasoning (and with observational data) a hypothesis can be established regarding hypercholesterolemia. In our hormone deficit hypothesis of hypercholesterolemia, we state that hypercholesterolemia is the reactive consequence of enzyme-dependent down regulation (whenever a cell creates less of a certain component) of steroid hormone creation and their interconversion.1 Simply put, the cholesterol level increases as a compensatory mechanism for the decreased production of steroid hormones. That is certainly a mouthful, but we can break it down quite easily.

Cholesterol creates hormones. What happens when hormone levels decrease, whether naturally via age or through other means? The said compensatory mechanism kicks in and the agent which is responsible for the formation of new hormones is created in greater numbers. Hormones fall, cholesterol production is increased to greater numbers to try and restore the balance. However, this is when the problem arises. The compensatory mechanism is unfortunately trying to fix the wrong thing. The compensatory mechanism has the right idea but is not working on fixing the actual problem. If increased cholesterol requirement to create more steroid hormones was the problem, then this would fix hormone levels. Unfortunately it does not, and steroid hormone levels remain low. Extra cholesterol production does not fix the malfunctioning enzymes.
The body can keep throwing cholesterol at the decreased hormone levels all day, but it is attempting to fix the problem with the wrong means. There isn’t some magical point where suddenly cholesterol becomes less effective. Consider that an optimally balanced body has an optimum level of cholesterol and an optimum level of hormones, for the body in question (this is important, because the human body is not a statistical variable and everyone is unique). If the problem arose from an increased need of cholesterol, then logically the increased level of cholesterol would in turn raise hormones to an optimal level. This is not the case.

Cholesterol increases, but hormone levels stay low. The underlying fault working, or not working in this case, is the enzymes that are responsible for the myriad of interconversions through which cholesterol turns into hormones (which are converted into other hormones, also via enzymes). The building supplies are increased, but the problem is not a lack of supplies but instead the construction workers not putting the building supplies in their place via proper application. As a consequence, the body keeps the level of cholesterol elevated accordingly. In this sense, cholesterol takes on more than ever the function of a biological marker. The elevated level shows that the production of hormones is not optimized according to the needs of the body in regards to hormones.

From our point of view, in such a situation the most optimal steps to take would lead to the restoration of normal enzyme function, such as the enzyme that converts cholesterol into pregnenolone or the various enzymes that control other hormonal interconversions. In the case of an enzyme deficiency, they can be simply replaced or restored. This will allow for the restoration of normal physiological pathways instead of their suppression. We think that drug companies should focus on such an approach instead of trying to disrupt the body’s normal physiology.
While speaking of cholesterol disorders, we can look at hypocholesterolemia. The work flow, so to speak, is reversed in this situation. While hypercholesterolemia is caused by low steroid hormone production, hypocholesterolemia causes low steroid hormone production. The hyper version sees a situation where the building blocks start to pile up because there is not enough builders to route them as needed, while the hypo version is a situation where there aren’t enough building blocks in the first place.

In other words, there are many paths to a malfunctioning system. A very easy example would be a statin drug, which interferes with HMG-CoA reductase, which has the overall effect of disrupting cholesterol production. Thus, the level of hormones decreases due to the lower level of cholesterol. This happens because there is less of what we can describe as the steroid hormone building block to go around.

One could argue, however, that this is an artificially created impediment to the regular function of the system. If someone were to shoot you in the arm, then the movement of that arm will be impaired. Your arm now suffers a handicap that was not there initially due to this outside force. How does this take into account individuals who naturally have lower levels of cholesterol? Once again, the uniqueness of each human being must be pointed out. Many malfunctions can occur in the long pathway of conversion before cholesterol is even formed.

Cholesterol is not simply created as a whole particle and let loose upon the body. Bits and pieces join together and convert into other parts with the help of various agents. All it takes is just one of those steps or parts not working to their full potential to cause a cascading chain reaction of impaired production. 

To learn more about cholesterol and the effect it has on your body, purchase Dr. Dzugan’s book “The Magic of Cholesterol Numbers” on Amazon.

Get your FREE e-Book today, Dr. Dzugan’s “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie” and learn more about our program and how it can help you.

Because every person’s body chemistry is different, we work closely with you to develop a personalized program that improves your overall Quality of Life.

Scroll to the bottom of the Dzugan PhysioLogic home page and grab your free ebook, a free consultation with one of our Doctors, or just give us a call at 1-866-225-4877 Option 2 today to speak with an experienced advisor.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. It does not replace medical care from a licensed physician. If you have a medical concern, please contact DzLogic at 1-866-225-4877.

Side Effects of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

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The most common side effects of CLD include chest pain, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia, and upper respiratory tract infections.

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Dzugan’s book “The Magic of Cholesterol Numbers” and goes into detail about how cholesterol-lowering drugs (or CLDs) can change your quality of life: 

Where do cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLD) come into the picture? After all, these drugs are the things that all the fear against cholesterol is leveraged for. Do they directly work to fix the issue which causes the rise in cholesterol? Or perhaps by lowering cholesterol they enable a mechanism to go into action to restore cholesterol to previous normal levels, which by extension fixes the issue that was associated with the abnormal level of cholesterol in the first place? Such an effect from these agents certainly would be wonderful. It would be wonderful if this is also what actually happened.

Delving into the world of CLDs, it quickly becomes apparent that there is no single CLD, but instead we find out that CLD is a blanket term for several types of agents.

Statins, which are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are perhaps the more famous ones if by fame we can refer to a beastly income coupled with a large advertising budget. Statins also pack the greatest punch, as they affect the basic mechanisms of cholesterol synthesis in a major way. They actually cut off cholesterol before it can be made.

The most common side effects of CLD include chest pain, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia, and upper respiratory tract infections. Statins and fibrates may cause erectile dysfunction. This one, in particular, is important, and not just for the men. Earlier we noted studies where high cholesterol was present in men with erectile dysfunction. If high cholesterol was the actual cause of this issue, wouldn’t it stand to reason that a lowered level of cholesterol would help with this instead of being a cause of it? Adverse events from CLD include reduced quality of life, eczema, skin rashes, severe rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue), renal failure, and death.

To read more about the world of Cholesterol numbers, get Dr. Dzugan’s book “The Magic of Cholesterol Numbers.”

Get your FREE e-Book today, Dr. Dzugan’s “Your Blood Doesn’t Lie” and learn more about our program and how it can help you.

Because every person’s body chemistry is different, we work closely with you to develop a personalized program that improves your overall Quality of Life.

Scroll to the bottom of the Dzugan PhysioLogic home page and grab your free ebook, a free consultation with one of our Doctors, or just give us a call at 1-866-225-4877 Option 2 today to speak with an experienced advisor.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. It does not replace medical care from a licensed physician. If you have a medical concern, please contact DzLogic at 1-866-225-4877.